It is amazing to see the amount of good hockey teams that are in playoff positions. Some are contenders for this season and that is all. Others are built to contend for the long haul. The New York Rangers future is bright given the way they are built.
Future Is Bright On Broadway
Chris Drury has helped build this team into a cup contender. The moves he has made bolstered an already good roster. Big splashes between Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. New York is destined to go on a deep run this postseason, but the real outlook is beyond this season and why they can contend further.
The Obvious Reasons
Let’s start with the obvious. The New York Rangers future is shining brightly due to key players in big roles. Igor Shesterkin is the heir to the throne. The transition from Henrik Lundqvist to him has been everything you could want. Shesterkin had a career year last year (2.07 GAA. .935 save%. 34.1 GSAX). In addition, he followed that up with another great season (2.53 GAA. .914 save%. 20.2 GSAX). He is one of the best in the league with no signs of slowing down.
As part of the cup contender article, it is built beyond this season. You have Adam Fox, Artemi Panarin, Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, and Jacob Trouba all locked up beyond this season. The core and gel of this group is together beyond this season making this a team to be feared. The lights will continue to shine brightly on Broadway.
Built Down The Middle
The obvious above is great, but like every other great team being built down the middle is important. This reason alone is huge for the New York Rangers future. Think about other good teams and their centre depth.
Boston: Bergeron, Krejci, Coyle
Toronto: Matthews, Tavares, O’Reilly
Tampa: Point, Paul, Cirelli
Those are just a few examples. A lot of teams have a solid 1-2 punch down the middle. But among the teams with a trio of centres, this is where the Rangers enter the that.
The Trio Up The Middle
The organization and their fans have a lot of reasons to be excited about the future. As mentioned above with the core pieces in place, they strengthened their group with centre depth. Being built down the middle goes a long ways, and the Rangers now have that.
Grabbing Mika Zibanejad from the Ottawa Senators was the best move. He has blossomed into a superstar centre and anchors the top line. Vincent Trocheck has been everything you could want in a second-line centre. He is fourth on the team in points right now in his first season. But the biggest key for this group is the contract extension to Filip Chytil.
Chytil anchors the third line. The line overall has been good for the club. Here is how they are doing in certain categories:
Corsi For: 53.24%
xGF%: 52.04%
Goals Scored: 29 As A Line
High Danger CF: 50%
High Danger Goals: 16
Overall, as a line they’ve been effective and it starts with Chytil. This is a guy who has come in and has gotten better with each passing season. Consistency is in his name as he has been good for 20+ points every season. However, this year is different. Chytil has 22 goals and 43 points and for a third-line centre that is huge production. It has to be comforting to know that you can count on your third line for production. Now that they have him for the next four years, solidifies their lineup while also being strong down the middle. When you look at some of these other team’s that are built deep down the middle, the Rangers are right alongside with them.
The Overall Future
The New York Rangers future is bright. This is a team that will be a contender in the Eastern Conference for years to come. However, questions will arise if they can keep certain players. Will Tarasenko and Kane be able to stay? Drury did a great job locking up Chytil, but the attention will shift to Miller and Lafreniere. Both are young building block players that need new deals. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, but the New York Rangers future is still bright.
Main Photo: Dennis Schneidler-USA TODAY Sports
